Quotes of the week

Who's been saying what in a sporting week of verbal sparring?

Last Updated: 22/09/11 8:02am

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Who's been saying what in a sporting week of verbal sparring?

"Kelvin Henry - he loves it, doesn't he? Always sticking his foot in and trying to hurt people. Why doesn't he do it when it is 0-0 in the game? He is chirping up all week saying he is going to do x,y and z to me and then he lets himself down massively by not even turning up on Saturday afternoons." Joey Barton keeps a low profile.

"Joey Barton was telling everyone on the pitch he is on 80 grand a week. That is him. I think he riles a few people when he says those things and tells everybody how great he is. It is just embarrassing really. If that is what he wants to do, he can carry on but that is why a lot of people dislike him. He's on 10 grand a week more than last season, he tells me." Karl Henry puts in two-footed verbal assault.

"Opinions are like backsides. We have all got one but it isn't always wise to air them in public." Eminent good sense from Mick McCarthy.

"I've recognised enough in him to know he's a player that can reach heights that other players can't reach - that Heineken player if you like. He's a Newcastle-type player the type that fans love up here and I felt it was important we secured him, which we have, but unfortunately we haven't seen him." Alan Pardew enjoys a pint with Hatem Ben Arfa.

"The fact is he asked for a wage which we didn't think he was worth. He's a petulant sod with big ideas of himself."

"I think that I am only a secondary actor. The coach does not have confidence in me. " David Silva misses out on a leading man gong while on international duty with Spain.

"It's like a relationship: sometimes you get a little bit stale, don't you? Sometimes you've got to have a little bit of an argument and have the old make-up afterward." England hooker Steve Thompson after Sunday's error-strewn victory over Georgia.

"I didn't want to celebrate in front of the fans but I needed to make a point to the chairman and his chief executive because everybody here said hello to me except for the chairman and chief executive, which is disappointing." Neil Kilkenny enjoys his goal against former club Leeds United.

"The fact is he asked for a wage which we didn't think he was worth. He's a petulant sod with big ideas of himself. He can't justify or excuse his behaviour. It shows exactly why we aren't sad to see him go." Ken Bates wasn't overly amused.

"Rugby player drinks beer, shocker." Martin Johnson draws a line under his side's quiet night out in New Zealand.

"The portrayals of him as being a broken man could not be further from the truth. Arsene is incredibly focused on what he needs to do and addressing the issues that he has seen." Ivan Gazidis defends a beleaguered Arsene Wenger.

"I get criticised a lot with things like 'you don't play, you pick your money up' and all the rest of it but I'm not proud of that fact. I want to play all the time." Michael Owen bags a brace against Leeds. Picks up his money. Hibernates until Man United's next Carling Cup game.

"You could close your eyes and see a young Iniesta or a young Xavi." Impressive stuff from Brian Marwood on watching Manchester City's Under 19 side play Barcelona.

"Why would I not want that fight? It's easy money and a chance to make a lot of people happy by knocking him out and shutting his big mouth." Mike Perez puts the world's best named boxer Tyson Fury in his place.

"There is an agenda from the media on De Gea. We experienced that again on Wednesday night. For some reason they seem to be desperate for the boy to fail. That's the impression I get and I don't understand it." Sir Alex Ferguson is on the rampage for media outlets that have criticised his goalkeeper, who incidentally we feel has been superb so far this season.

"The England manager changes that often there can never be that stability and I think managers just go out for the England job for the money these days." Paul Scholes finds his voice having hung up his boots.